Latest News

New General Manager for Old Treasury

The Committee of Management of Old Treasury Building is pleased to announce the appointment of Margaret Anderson to the position of General Manager. Margaret will be commencing in the position on 26 October. The appointment follows a lengthy selection process undertaken in conjunction with the Public Record Office Victoria.

Margaret was previously the Chief Executive Officer of History SA (South Australia) which is responsible for the Migration Museum, National Motor Museum and the South Australian Maritime Museum as well SA’s Community History Program. Margaret was also Chair of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors from 2007 to 2011. While she has worked mainly interstate in recent years Margaret is not new to Victoria. Early in her career she was a Lecturer in Australian History and Australian Studies at Monash University and also for a short time Lecturer in Museum Studies at Deakin University.

The Committee would like to wish retiring General Manager, Diane Gardiner, well in her retirement. We would also like to thanks joint Acting General Managers Ian Watts and Caroline Molesworth for their willingness to step in over the last 12 months while Diane has been away. Thanks to their and Sally Bodinnar’s efforts, operations at OTB have continued smoothly.

Retirement from Old Treasury

It is announced that Diane Gardiner, General Manager of the Old Treasury Building, Melbourne will be retiring from the role at the end of June 2015.

ANZAC Grant for OTB

The Old Treasury has been awarded funding by the Commonwealth Government's ANZAC Centenary Arts and Culture Fund to commemorate the ANZAC Centenary. These funds will be used to support an exciting new exhibition in 2015, Trenches to Plough—Soldier Settler Stories.

The exhibition will explore the now almost-forgotten rural settlement scheme initiated for soldiers returning from overseas war service. The Victorian Government acquired farming land for repatriated servicemen with the objective of providing useful work for those who had returned home with few prospects of civilian employment. The project will include strong community engagement in its development and wide consultation throughout Victoria in exploring the stories, collections and memories of settlers' descendants.

Diane Gardiner wins Museums Australia Award

Our General Manager, Diane Gardiner’s extraordinary dedication to the state’s museum & heritage sector was recognised on Thursday August 8th 2013, when she won The Museums Australia (Victoria) Award for Excellence (Paid Staff). This is the highest award an individual can receive within the Victorian museum sector. “We were overwhelmed by Diane’s dedication and commitment to the sector and her promotion and enjoyment of history which has had a huge impact on the general public of Victoria and all of the museums which she has worked in.” said the Victorian Museum Awards judges.

On behalf of all at Old Treasury Building, it’s a pleasure to have you at the helm, Di. Congratulations on this prestigious award.

Copland Foundation Grant

One of the most fascinating and popular interpretative features on display at the Old Treasury Building is located in the gold vaults of the building. It is a 360 degree photographic panorama, taken from the top of Parliament, of the City of Melbourne in 1862. This vista has been juxtaposed with an exact panoramic replica of Melbourne in 2012. The historic photographic record of Melbourne is the most popular interpretative exhibit at the OTB, and the most widely remarked-upon by visitors. It shows the vibrant young city which had sprung up in less than a decade from the gold rush. Everyone finds it fascinating to view the city skyline as it was in the 19th century. Many find it hard to leave! Some of the original buildings remain and are still recognisable, and the street grid has not changed.

OTB received a Copland Foundation grant for the project. Photos were taken from the Parliament roof at a similar vantage point- a modern panorama shot of the city 150 years later. This new panorama will be placed above the original 1862 panorama, to give a fascinating comparison of Melbourne past and present. Visitors are able to clearly see the massive changes that have taken place in 150 years and to witness the growth of a major world metropolis over the greater part of the Old Treasury's life. This new interpretation of Melbourne’s history has been a compelling and moving experience for visitors to the site. It was completed in 2014, and is now on display.

Lost Stories

The commemorative DVD "Lost Stories of the Old Treasury Building" is now available on our YouTube channel! The Governor and others who have worked in the building speak about the Old Treasury, their personal stories and historical facts. For more information, see the Governor's page. You can view it here. This project was funded by a grant from the Australian Federal Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

The Old Treasury Building website won a Museums Australia Multimedia Design Award in 2011 for this website. Congratulations to Studio Alto!